Culture

Question 0

Discuss the impact of culture, racism and discrimination on family health

Answer 0

Culture

• meaning of health/illness
• causes of health/illness
• health practice
• expectations of health care providers: interpretation of symptoms, meaning of pain and suffering

Stereotyping by health care

HCP attributing to everything to culture and ignoring socio-political and historical context

communication difficulties

comparisions to normative culture

power structure in healthcare

lack of awareness of “white privilege”

Question 1

Discuss one’s own cultural context through a process of self-reflection

Answer 1

Assessing your own culture

Identify your invisible baggage; that is attitude, metaphors, beliefs, values

Understand colonial history and its impact on indigenous people rather than increasing knowledge about indigenous customs and healths beliefs

Question 2

Explain cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity and cultural safety

Answer 2

Cultural Sensitivity

• means to be aware of existence of different cultural practices and beliefs
• focus is on awareness or difference

Cultural awareness
-observing and being conscious of similarities and contrasts between cultural groups and the way in which these may affect different people’s approach to health, illness and healing

Cultural Safety

• transfers concept of safety in nursing from physical behaviour to cultural behaviour
• nurses must undertake constant self-evaluation to ensure patient’s need for culturally safe care is fulfilled
• patient determines what is culturally safe, not the nurse
• focus of care remains on the individual patient, not on the patient’s presumed cultural background
• requires the nurse to be constantly aware of patient’s response to care and to actively engaged in modifying their own Behavior in response to feedback

NURSES PRACTISING CULTURAL SAFETY MUST AVOID 3DS..

Diminish, Demean or Disempower the cultural identity and well-being of the individual. Instead: follow 3R: Recognize, respect the Rights and nuture the unique identity of the aboriginal people

Question 3

Discuss the origin of health disparities of Aboriginal families

Answer 3

poor air circulation
tuberculosis largely ignored, until threatened the population
underfunding and overcrowding undermined the health of students attending school
poor diet, underfed, poorly housed, and overworked for decades